Utica Man Panhandling To Raise Money For Chocolate Business Dream

A Utica man is taking an unusual approach to raising money for a business he wants to start: he's panhandling.

We first spotted Travis standing under the Route 840 overpass on Commercial Drive in New Hartford, standing outside in a light rain. He was holding a sign that explained he was trying to raise money to start a business - and gave his website: rawmoneycrew.com

That's not something you see every day.

Travis Scott has a dream. He wants to start a chocolate business - he even has the name picked out: "Carisilk." Travis estimates he needs about $5000 to start the business - to import the chocolate from Colombia, to get custom molds, to develop packaging. While some would be-entrepreneurs save for years, raise money through Go Fund Me, or borrow from family members - Travis has another strategy.

According to a video on his website, Travis says panhandling is a full-time job - if you treat it that way. In his video, he claims that is one day of panhandling for 8 hours - he raised $122. A quick calculation works that out to about $15.25 an hour - tax free.